Danish Maritime Authority uses drone to inspect lighthouse

SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 — The Danish Maritime Authority now has its first certified drone pilot and plans to now use a drone as a supplementary means of inspecting its lighthouses.

The authority has procured a four-armed drone and Constructing Architect Jesper Kern Hansen has become one of the first people in Denmark to be certified as a drone pilot.

The drone certificate permits the holder to fly drones professionally in densely built-up areas as well as up to a distance of 2 km from airports.

The drone is expected to be able to contribute considerably to the assessment of the condition of roofs, gutters, upper parts of lighthouse facades as well as to subsequent documentation of the surfaces treated.

"We can use the drone to inspect the upper parts of the front as well as the roof structure better than previously when we had only our eyes and possibly binoculars," says Hansen.